In a bold move, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has unveiled a damning white paper alleging widespread rigging in the February 8 general elections, calling for the formation of a judicial commission to investigate what they describe as the “snatching of the 180 seats.”
During a press conference held in Islamabad on Thursday, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar, flanked by other party leaders, declared, “We won the 180 seats in the [February 8] elections. Our seats were given to other parties through Form 47.”
Expressing frustration over the delay in addressing their concerns, Barrister Gohar highlighted their petition filed in the Supreme Court, lamenting its lack of a scheduled hearing. “But the plea has not been fixed for hearing as yet,” he emphasized.
The party’s effort to bring attention to the alleged electoral malpractice includes the release of a 300-page white paper. “We are issuing a 300-page white paper to bring it to the notice of the people as to how their mandate was stolen,” Barrister Gohar asserted.
Citing the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to invalidate the PTI’s intra-party polls, Barrister Gohar pointed out the consequential deprivation of their electoral symbol, the iconic ‘bat’. He claimed, “Our victory was turned into defeat by [manipulating] election results in the Form 47.”
The white paper, according to Barrister Gohar, draws from reports of international organizations, foreign media, and newspapers, underscoring their commitment to transparency.
Moreover, the PTI leaders called for sweeping electoral reforms to root out rigging from future polls. PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub, addressing the media, criticized the ECP’s handling of the elections, demanding the resignation of the chief election commissioner.
“We demand the chief election commissioner to step down,” Omar Ayub declared, accusing the electoral body of failing to uphold transparency and fairness in the electoral process despite receiving significant financial resources for the purpose.
As the PTI intensifies its campaign against alleged electoral irregularities, the nation awaits further developments and the response from concerned authorities.
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